Write On, Door County breaks ground on writing center expansion

FISH CREEK - It looks like a quaint cottage described in a story, but Write On, Door County's building is actually where a lot of stories are created.

On Sunday, however, the organization broke ground on land across Juddville Road, to expand their facilities beyond the fairy-tale setting.

Write On, Door County houses one writer — two, if writers apply together — at a time, alongside administrative offices, in their current house. They also offer several writing classes and programs, year-round, in that space. Part of their expansion plan is a large writing center, where classes and offices can be hosted, leaving more resident rooms in the house.

Write On, Door County's expanded area will have stone walls lining its entrance. At the groundbreaking, people wrote messages and words on a few to signify the new chapter.(Photo: Sammy Gibbons)

Writers from across the country — and two from beyond the U.S. — spend one to four weeks living in the house and taking advantage of the 40-acre lands, to immerse themselves in writing. The house is nestled in a natural area with tall trees and trails to help writers separate themselves from reality in order to complete projects.

"People are freed up from what they are," Write On Artistic Director Jerod Santek said. "When they are primarily a writer first, that gives them so much freedom to get a lot of work done in a short period of time."

The new writing center, which is set to open in spring 2020, will feature meeting spaces for writers to collaborate, read and critique each other's work. Along with office space, a sun room opening onto scenic trails will serve as another site for writers to create.

A path on Write On, Door County's land is lined with old typewriters and ends with an old chicken coop all owned by the late Norbert Blei.(Photo: Sammy Gibbons)

Their property also includes an abandoned, structurally unsound house which they plan to "re-imagine," according to Santek. One idea architects proposed is to rebuild the walls, but keep the same look, original hearth and chimney, and turn it into a performance space.

Write On's long-term expansion plan also includes additional resident spaces next to the original house. That building would include five rooms for residency participants, along with several quiet spaces for them to work. The timeline for that building is unclear, as they only recently launched a capital campaign with a goal of raising $4.5 million to complete the project.

The non-profits first residents came in April 2014, and they've welcomed about 160 to 180 writers in residence since. Santek said residency slots are filled up throughout 2019 and into the first half of 2020 already. He and fellow administrators hope the expanded space will increase their visibility, particularly for locals and those who haven't written before.